


Setting Sails

by herbailiwick



Category: Sherlock (TV)
Genre: Gen, Nightmares
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-02
Updated: 2012-12-02
Packaged: 2017-11-20 02:08:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 458
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/580120
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/herbailiwick/pseuds/herbailiwick
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>John and Sherlock comfort each other after nightmares.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Setting Sails

It's not always John who needs the comforting from nightmares. That's how it starts out, of course, because when does Sherlock Holmes ever sleep? But, as often is the case, things even out between them. Reciprocation happens.

There's a difference, though. Except for the first time, Sherlock always asks John if he wants to talk about it. And, except for the first time, John never does.

John dreams of the battlefield he's left, and so does Sherlock. John's battlefield is best described as "service", and Sherlock's is best described as "childhood".

Sherlock knows if he lets something slip, the rest slipping out will only be a matter of time, and he wouldn't be the same if he had to slog through a night with a visit from Mycroft and a focus on sentiment and illogical fear and the _binding_  effect of their abnormal experiences.

Sherlock counts himself lucky he at least has John around for the comfort from the nightmares, when they do occur. Mycroft receives no such comfort. Though, Sherlock isn't entirely sure Mycroft has nightmares anymore. He's the Iceman, was it?

Sometimes Sherlock wishes he could be a pirate. Sometimes he wishes he'd never let Mycroft in on that secret. Sometimes he wishes Mycroft had become a pirate too. 

But he's got John, and that's something, really something. Mycroft's comfort is begrudged, expected, and very sure. John's is the opposite, even if it feels similarly warm (yes, the Iceman is capable of warmth). 

"I would have made a great pirate," he murmurs to John one night.

John gives that high-pitched giggle he has and says, "So it wasn't a joke then? Mycroft told me it was a childhood dream."

Sherlock quirks a lip and says, "Who said anything about childhood?"

It makes John laugh again, and Sherlock laughs too, and he thinks that next Christmas he might call Mycroft just to call him. Sometimes, when Sherlock's feeling all those  _things_  related to childhood, he's actually grateful to Mycroft, who's done more for him than was probably healthy at the time. He does more than is healthy now. They are out of the home now, and he never stopped.

It's a rather good night, even if John's going to be all sleepy tomorrow. Come to think of it, though, a sleepy John is rather adorable, so the thought's not unpleasant.

"Would you run away and become a pirate with me, if I decided I'd had enough of the consulting?" he asks a bit tiredly.

"Yeah," John says easily, and both of them are only half joking. "Yeah, I'll be the captain."

Sherlock raises a brow. "Aye aye, Captain Watson," he says, tugging John a bit closer, grinning when John giggles again and tries to push him away.


End file.
